Star Chasings
by Ieyana
Summary: Basically something that I did in the style of Eragon, this is not a ripoff or continuation this is my own work merely using the style of Christopher Paolini. The character's are copyrighted to me as well as the plot, setting, etc. If you really like th
1. Fate's Hand

Star Chaser

Ieyana lay sprawled out on a bed of leaves, her charcoal-hued dragon curled around the tiny bundle. A cool breeze sang its way though the trees and danced over the dragon's scales without effect. Ieyana, on the other hand, shivered, curled up in a tight ball in a desperate attempt to stop the tremors from racking her tiny frame.

_Coal, do me a favor and block the wind will you,_ Ieyana whimpered, using her thoughts to speak with her bonded dragon.

The massive beast raised its head, the black scales covering the dragon shimmering in the pale moonlight. _You told me that not an hour ago, Milady,_ the dragon replied with an amused smirk. Unfolding one of his massive wings Coal extended the gray, bone-threaded membrane over Ieyana, nudging her gently. _Here, I'm plenty warm,_ he offered.

Ieyana opened one sapphire eye to gaze up at her friend. _But that would require moving,_ she whined, pulling the deer hide blanket tighter around her shivering frame.

_Well, either you move two feet, or you can freeze...your choice._

Ieyana glared at her dragon, but slowly rose from the colorful leaf roost to join her dragon in the thick grass.

Coal grunted as his rider collapsed next to him, positioning her head on his scaly side.

_Coal, how come you're so warm all the time?_

The charcoal dragon folded his wing over the teen and sighed, sending sparks and a tiny plume of smoke billowing out from his nostrils. _Well, Milady, I can breathe fire, therefore I have a naturally high body temperature,_ Coal replied, surveying the landscape before resting his head back down on the ground.

It had been a full week since Ieyana and Coal had fled from the girl's hometown of Frostvale, the valley in the snow. Fall had snuck up on them and with it the cold weather.

The pair remained hidden in the thick forested landscape just outside of Woodshire, the land hidden in the trees. An appropriate name, considering everyone in the small dispersed village lived in tree houses surrounded by unnaturally large trees. But these weren't just any tree houses, these were special. They hung from the abnormally thick branches, like lanterns. Not a single scrap of wood and leaves the homes were constructed from was secured to the ground in any way. The structures could even stand up to gale-force winds without so much as a shudder.

Ieyana had only been to Woodshire once, to visit her friend Marra, but this second trip couldn't have been more different. This time there was no warm home to accept her. She was an outcast now. No one could protect her, not after what she had done. No, now she was a murderer, she could never go back to the way things were before, never.

It was bad enough that she had no real family to begin with. For as long as she could remember she had been alone. She was only every really visited by the neighbors in the village who helped her out with cooking and such. But this was different. She was a killer, and no one wanted her now.

A vision flashed from behind the girl's eyes as she rested against Coal's broad side. She saw her hometown, Frostvale. She saw the seasons rush past her gaze, as if the town was suddenly thrust into fast-forward. Then the snowfall that lasted from fall to summer, and the brief months of green grass and thick forests. She saw Nasaka, the valley of flame, the hometown of that bastard, the one man who went and ruined everything.

She saw the man's face, his dark cloak and the hammer raised in his right hand. Then the fragile, coarse black egg positioned under the vicious tool. That malicious grin that haunted her dreams, the toothy grin that made her want to wretch.

Suddenly the man swung the hammer down. Then blood, lots of blood, but it wasn't coming from the egg. Screams echoed through Ieyana's head, her screams. The shouting that had come from her as she saw the man's course of action. Her blade slashed across her vision, the katana that her older brother Kai had given her for her sixteenth birthday last year. It was coated in blood, steaming, thick, blood; the same blood that now leaked from the hole in the man's chest.

The man's futile gasps for air were the last thing's she heard before everything went black.

She had killed him. Shoved him away from the precious black jewel, and ran him through the chest.

The look on the man's face burned behind Ieyana's eyes, the gaze of a dying man. It was eating her from the inside out, and she was rendered helpless against it. That man had died because of her.


	2. It Begins

Chapter 2: It Begins

Ieyana woke with a start, sweat trickling down her scrunched face. Her pale eyes frantically searched the darkness that closed in around her, so thick it suffocated her.

_Milady, are you alright?_ Coal asked; lifting a leathery wing to gaze at his rider nestled underneath. His concern was obvious not only in his tone, but also in his dark eyes that could penetrate Ieyana's thoughts so easily even if no words were spoken.

The moon's solemn glow highlighted the wedge-shaped head of the dragon as Ieyana struggled to adjust to the unfamiliar light.

_Y-yeah, just...just a bad dream is all. Nothing to worry about,_ she replied, though her distracted tone betrayed her words.

Coal stared at the young girl a moment longer before shrugging, returning his head to its previous resting place on his muscular forelimbs, and bringing his massive wing back down over his rider's resting place. W_hatever you say, milady._

Ieyana's breathing was still coming in short, ragged gasps, unable to calm down. Her heart still pounded in the back of her skull, slowly driving her mad. That dream came to her often, it haunted her constantly and robbed her of a peaceful night's sleep. She'd had enough.

Pressing a still shaking hand to the ground, she pushed herself upright, and upon finding her legs had stabilized, she stood, gently tapping the bridge of Coal's wing, _I'm going for a walk, let me out._

There was a long pause, and for a moment Ieyana thought that her dragon had severed their thought communication. Her hand still resting gently against the thin grey membrane, Ieyana thought she felt the black dragon's wing press down further over her, but it was soon lifted to reveal two very concerned midnight blue eyes.

_At this time of night? Milady, I can't let you go alone. Can't it wait until morning?_

Ieyana suppressed the urge to smirk at her over-protective dragon. _Don't worry so much, I'll be fine. I just...I'm just going to clear my head. I won't be long,_ she replied, giving Coal a reassuring pat on the nose.

The dragon sighed, sending a small cloud of smoke spiraling around his riders head. _If you are not back in an hour I'm going to rip apart the forest trying to find you._

Ieyana giggled, _Oh please, you big worry-wart. Nothing's going to happen. _And with that the blond wrapped her arms around her dragon's neck in a quick hug, and strolled out of the clearing into the thick underbrush.

A sapphire pond sparkled in the pale moonlight as Ieyana crouched on the shore, gazing intently at her reflection. The doppelganger stared back, mimicking her every movement. That is, until a small maple leaf fluttered down from an overhanging branch and descended upon the twinkling pool, landing right in the middle of the doppelganger's brow.

Ieyana sighed, watching the ripples being thrust out from under the leaf, like blood leaking from a pulsating heart, distorting her reflection. The riders gaze followed the waning ripples out to their full reach when her gaze fell upon something unusual, a shoe. A green shoe, to be precise, with gold trim, and unlike anything else Ieyana had ever seen before.

The rider stiffened, why hadn't she sensed anyone else's presence? Her gaze tentatively drifted up from the shoe to a sock, to a pant leg, to a brown vine-like belt, to a green and gold vest, to a face. Ieyana's eyes widened. The figure standing before her was alien to anything else she had ever encountered in the small village of Frostvale.

The figure was defiantly male, but he didn't have human ears on either side of his head. Rather, two long, thin black jackal ears perched atop his head that Ieyana assumed melded with the flesh of his scalp under his chin-length brown hair.

"Who are you?" the boy shouted, seemingly unfazed by her presence. Judging from the sound of his voice Ieyana guessed he was not that much older than her brother.

"Ieyana Igen, and who's asking?" she replied, hoping the strange creature would answer her.

All she got was a stern, "Leave."

The rider scurried to her feet, not about to be cast aside so easily. "And why should I?" she growled, glaring at the strange boy.

The girl's eyes widened in terror as the boy smoothly unsheathed two thin swords. Ieyana had neglected to notice the two wooden sheaths positioned on either side of the creature's hips. The boy began to take a step forward when he vanished, or so Ieyana thought.

Catching a flash of green out of the corner of her eye Ieyana spun to her right, _Coal!_


	3. House of Waiting

House of Waiting:

The bamboo chimes reverberated violently in the windless twilight. Something was wrong.

Marra slowly pushed herself upright on her mattress, careful not to make even the slightest sound. Her emerald eyes searched the secretive darkness. Remaining perfectly still until her eyes adjusted and she could confirm that she was alone.

The room was empty. The maroon comforter showed no signs of being disturbed, the cherry wood dresser built into the bedroom wall wasn't damaged, nor were any of the trinkets adorning the top displaced. Even the slight film of dust on the bedside table was left untouched. Nothing was out of place at all.

The seventeen-year-old slid out of bed slowly, still glancing around her small bedroom. Even though nothing showed any signs of being disturbed Marra couldn't help but feel a growing sense of dread rise in her gut.

A small wooden room encased a sleeping teen. The magnificent cherry wood covering the floor was seamless, matched up so well you could follow the swirling grains across the room and up the maple walls. The whispering wind wound its way through an open window on one side of the room to dance over the dormant young woman's skin. The wind was strangely warm, even though it was so close to the first snow of winter. The massive leaves that usually blocked out the cold shrank to the size of a human palm and arched away from the picturesque window view. The cherry wood canopy bed seemed to grow right out of the floor. The glossy posts shimmered in the full moon's light as they held up a drooping lace canopy the hung over the young woman like a sparkling spider web. I was all so...peaceful.

Ieyana groaned, rolling over when a sense of weightlessness rushed over her, and soon she came crashing into the cold, hard ground.

The rider's eye's snapped open. Startled she scrambled to her feet, getting tangled in hunter green sheets and her baggy jeans.

"W-what? Where am I?" Ieyana yelped, fully taking in her surroundings with ever widening eyes.

Ieyana let herself collapse back on the floor once more. Wincing as the throbbing in her head ensued. The young woman hung her head between her knees in an attempt to find her center of balance and stop the room from spinning. She couldn't remember how she got in the strange room or anything about the night before. Letting her mind wander Ieyana's pale blue eyes drifted over the grains woven into the wood floor, following them to dead-ends, into spirals, and across what seemed like a complex map of roads.

Suddenly Ieyana realized something. Where was her dragon? What had happened to Coal? Why wasn't he here?

_Coal! Coal, help me!_ the rider shrieked through her mind-link, only to have her words come rushing back and echo endlessly through her brain. Ieyana shivered, slowly starting to comprehend what was happening. That boy...no, creature, what had he done to her? Why couldn't she communicate with her dragon?

So many thoughts flooded Ieyana's mind that she finally gave into their demanding voices and shrieked. Gripping her head and tangling her fingers in her blond and black streaked hair.

WHAM! The door parallel to where Ieyana was crouched by the bed swung open and smashed into the wall.

The jackal boy stood in the doorway. A look of pure disgust crossed his face.

"What the hell are you doing?" he growled. His charcoal ears were seemingly plastered flat upon his brunette hair, trying to bury their way back into his skull.

Ieyana grimaced at the sudden noise, slowly looking up from the floor to the boy's face. She felt so small, so...powerless.

But something in the boy's face jogged her memory. It all came rushing back to her: the pond, the ripples pulsating outward from under the maple leaf, and the shimmering blades that pierced the twilight's shadows.

Snapping back 1to reality Ieyana realized the strange boy had crossed the room and was crouched down in front of her. His ears twitched and swiveled back and fourth, causing his brunette locks to twist and become displaced, as if they were caught in an invisible breeze. The rider stared at him for a long moment. His eyes were closed. He looked so peaceful, so...harmless. Suddenly she realized what he was listening to, her breathing. His charcoal colored ears were moving back and fourth to the rhythm of her breathing!

Ieyana raised an eyebrow at the strange boy.

"What?" she finally blurted out. The creature perched before her snapped out of its trance and lurched backwards, skidding to a stop on all fours a few feet away. For the first time Ieyana noticed a change of expression on the boy's face. She had startled him.

The boy growled, glaring at the female rider until she squirmed under his enraged stare.

"What?" Ieyana repeated. "What were you listening to?"

"Nothing," the boy snapped in response, folding his arms across his chest. Apparently he was desperate to keep his pride in tact.

Ieyana rolled her eyes. She probably wouldn't be able to extract any more information from him at the rate this was going.

A small sigh escaped the young woman. Obviously trying to force more information out of the creature would prove useless.

Ieyana snorted, this was ridiculous. She didn't know the slightest thing about this boy, or where she was for that matter. She wanted answers and she wanted them now.

"So...what's your name?" Ieyana asked.

"What?"

"I said...what's your name? I told you mine, it's only fair that you tell me yours."

The boy stared at her for a long moment. A look of confusion crossed his gaze and Ieyana was beginning to think that she should just quit while she was ahead when she got an answer.

"My name is Hiroshi," he stated proudly.

"Hiroshi, I think I've heard that name before...back in the village. It was probably just some farmer's son, or something of that sort."

Hiroshi's glance shifted from Ieyana to the window on the other side of the room.

Ieyana tilted her head to one side, confused as to why Hiroshi had suddenly turned away. Did he know something about her town? What was his problem?

"Did I say something wrong? Hiroshi?" Ieyana asked meekly, worried that she accidentally brought up a painful memory of the creatures.

Hiroshi's black ears twitched at the sound of his name. As if it were a foreign, long lost sound to him.

"What town do you hail from?" Hiroshi asked; his voice suddenly unforgiving and stern.

"Frostvale," Ieyana answered bluntly.

The boy wheeled around to face her, anger flashed like fire in his eyes. Hiroshi jumped to his feet, pointing an accusing finger in Ieyana's direction.

"Then why are you in Woodshire?" he growled.

"Because I...I ran away from home," Ieyana stammered. She just couldn't tell him she was a murderer, what if he told someone and she was sentenced to death?

"Really," Hiroshi growled in response, smirking to reveal two canine-like fangs among otherwise human teeth. "You're lying, I can tell," he added, one of his ears giving a slight flicker.

Ieyana glared at the jackal boy. "And who are you to judge me!" she hissed, jumping to her feet as well. The rider clenched her hands into fists at her sides; her whole body trembled with the anger boiling over in her blood. "Tell me, where am I?" she snarled.

Hiroshi raised an eyebrow at her, but suddenly calmed down, regaining his dignified composure.

"You, miss, are in the House of Waiting."


End file.
